The present invention relates to watercraft in general, and to catamarans in particular. Still more specifically, the invention relates to a catamaran having plural drives.
Catamarans are dual-hull vehicles which are usually used for the transportation of freight. Since catamarans are well known, a detailed discussion of the principles of construction and operation of these watercraft is not necessary herein.
It is known to provide catamarans wherein at the rear end of each hull there is located a single propeller, and wherein the respective hulls are constructed substantially symmetrically with reference to their longitudinal axes, which in turn extend parallel to the longitudinal symmetry line of the catamaran per se. The prior-art catamarans suffer from certain disadvantages which have restricted their use despite the fact that such vessels potentially offer many advantages, particularly in the transportation of cargo. Among these disadvantages are the fact that the flow conditions of the water relative to the hulls, and in particular the water flow to the propellers, are not advantageous.